Prom Night
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: The inspiration for this story was from a photo Carrie Fisher tweeted of her and Harrison Ford at ComicCon 2015 labeled: Prom Night 1977-2015. I had to do something with it.


PROM NIGHT

"Mom!" Jarik called out as he entered the house. "Mom!"

"I'm in my office!" Leia shouted back.

Jarik threw open the door to his mother's office with his usual ungainly enthusiasm. "Mom, I gotta get something formal for prom," he announced.

Leia smiled at her youngest child. He was seventeen now, and as tall as his father. He looked so much like Han that she sometimes did a double take.

"You've decided to go to prom?" she asked him. He hadn't said anything about it previously.

"Well, Amie wants to go, so we're going." Amie was his current girlfriend. Like his father, he was attractive to women, and he knew it. There had been so many different girls this past year Leia sometimes found it hard to keep them straight. Amie, however, had been around for a few months now, a new record for the young man.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Leia told him. She frowned, trying to think of a formalwear store for men; they hadn't needed one in years. Han still had his from so many years ago, it fit him a little more snugly, but not by much. It made Leia smile to think about it. "Let me look up where we can go."

"I think Dad should take me," Jarik commented.

"Yes, he should, but I need to figure out where to send him," Leia laughed. "He should be home in a few hours."

"I've got till next weekend!" Jarik pointed out. "What's the big rush?"

"You have to have it fitted," Leia explained to him.

"Why?" Jarik seemed baffled by the concept.

"Because it won't look right if it doesn't fit properly. And Amie won't be happy."

"Oh." That Jarik seemed to understand. "Okay, I gotta work on my racer."

"What about your homework?" Leia demanded. The boy was going to graduate, but only by the skin of his teeth. His grades had been the cause of many a sleepless night, at least for his parents.

"I don't have that much. School's almost over!" Jarik protested.

"Homework. Now," Leia ordered him in her firmest voice.

Jarik muttered a few choice Corellian curses and headed for his room.

Leia smiled wistfully. Without the added burden of Force-sensitivity, Jarik was a typical kid. He hated homework, loved working on his racers-which Leia hated, he had friends, girlfriends, and enjoyed sports. She was sure there was some adolescent angst buried in there somewhere, but like his father, he was pretty contained with his emotions, save for sporting events, which produced wild passion in both father and son. It became orders of magnitude worse when Luke joined them for such events. Leia wasn't crazy about Jarik's collection of bad language, but that bad habit appeared to be endemic among kids. She knew this from teaching them. She often resorted to looking up slang so she at least knew what they were talking about.

And now he was going to prom.

Leia sometimes looked at her youngest and thought about what life would have been like had she not been adopted into royalty. She'd have gone to the public schools, suffered typical teenage misery,

and gone to prom. She didn't regret the life she'd had, and besides, she'd never have met Jarik's father had it been otherwise.

But sometimes, she wondered what she'd missed out on. The giddy moments of excitement, the laughter with friends, the chance to attend slumber parties.

And prom.

She returned to grading papers, wearily rubbing the spot between her brows. _Some of these kids need serious remedial writing classes_ , she grumbled to herself.

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Leia was preparing dinner when Han entered the house.

"Smells good, sweetheart," he called out. Even after three decades, the sound of Han coming home was one of the sweetest to her ears and it still caused a flutter of excitement deep inside her. It gave her even more of a thrill to see his handsome face and kiss those full, sensuous lips.

"It's traladon steaks in wine sauce," Leia told him after they'd embraced and kissed.

"Works for me." Han kissed her again. "Where's the boy?"

"Doing his homework. And not happy about it."

"Too bad. Kid should be grateful he's getting an education." Han had had to fight for his education, and his son's complaints about studying grated on him at times. He picked up a couple of flimsies that had been dropped on the kitchen counter. "What's this? Kid's actually going to prom? Wonder what Amie had to do to con him into that."

"I'm not going there," Leia told him sharply.

Han read one of the flimsies. "Hey, they're looking for chaperones. Maybe we should volunteer." His grin was wicked.

"He'd be mortified," Leia reminded him.

"Exactly! That's why we should do it!" Han chuckled.

"Well…" Leia found a smile crossing her lips, "by the time I was his age, I was planning a revolution, so I never did get to go to prom."

"Wanna go?" Han asked her, his lopsided grin filled with mischief.

Leia knew how their son would feel about his parents crashing his prom, but she found herself wanting to experience something her younger self never had.

"You'll have to wear your formal clothes," Leia warned him, answering his grin with one of her own.

"I will?" Han asked, aghast.

"Yes, you will," Leia said firmly. "And speaking of formalwear, our son doesn't have any, so you're in charge of getting him some."

"I wouldn't know where to look," Han said. Leia had to stifle a giggle; Han knew all the best places to purchase nearly anything. Obviously, formalwear wasn't at the top of his list.

"You're in luck," Leia told him. "I have a datapad with a list of places I found."

"Great." Han groaned a little. "You know mine's too tight these days."

"You suggested this. Now you're not getting out of it. And I have to find a dress," Leia's eyes were full of mischief now. "But don't tell Jarik. We'll surprise him."

"Sometimes apology is better than permission," Han agreed.

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"So you're taking Amie to the prom," Han said as he and his youngest child headed into Coronet City to one of the formalwear stores Leia had listed for them.

"Why do you think we're buying me formalwear?" Jarik looked at his father and shook his head. Sometimes, he thought, his parents were so idiotic.

Han had brought along his oft-worn formalwear, in the hopes of having it let out a bit. He certainly wasn't out of shape, but neither was he as thin now in his sixties as he had been in his thirties; that was to be expected. And the neck pinched.

"You'll need to get her flowers, too," Han advised his son.

"Why?" Jarik asked.

Han marveled at Jarik's cluelessness upon occasion—he didn't understand how a smart kid could be so dense sometimes. "Because on formal occasions, ladies get flowers."

"How many florists are you in debt to?" Jarik quipped back.

Han considered that concept, perhaps for the first time. "I don't want to think about it. C'mon. Let's hope they have something long enough for your legs."

"I got 'em from you," Jarik shot back.

"Touche."

Jarik, Han observed, really did look like Han had at seventeen-all gangly arms and legs. Jarik was less purposeful at seventeen than Han had been, but then, Jarik didn't have to escape from a slave ship or bust his ass to join the military. Han was glad the

kid hadn't had his childhood, even if he did have his body.

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Han asked the tailor on staff if he could have his own evening wear let out a little. The tailor looked it over and sniffed a bit. "How old is this?" The multi-armed being asked.

"It's a classic," Han responded hotly, astounded to find himself actually defending his heretofore hated formalwear.

"You'd be better off replacing it," was the tailor's response.

"I don't get rid of things just because they're old," Han said severely.

"Yeah, like his excuse for a ship," Jarik tossed in.

"Hey! You don't say anything about the _Falcon_ , young man!" Han hissed at him. "So are you going to let it out?" he demanded of the tailor.

"As you wish," the tailor sighed. "Nerise here will measure your son, and then she'll help you." A lovely young woman, probably ten years older than Jarik, came over to them. Jarik immediately lost interest in baiting his father and began studying the young lady.

 _He's my son, all right,_ Han said to himself, shaking his head.

"You're very tall," Nerise commented to Jarik as she worked.

"So's his girlfriend," Han put in. Amie was roughly eight centimeters shorter than Jarik. She was a pretty brunette with a wicked sense of humor. Han thought she was a good foil for Jarik. And so far, she'd been around longer than any of the previous girls he'd dated.

"She is. She's getting heels so we're the same height," Jarik said, grinning.

Han didn't often think about when he was young, in terms of females he'd been associated with, but he remembered that the women that had come before Leia had all been tall and willowy. But once he'd met Leia, he'd decided it was time for tiny women with delicious curves. He wondered what the future held for Jarik in terms of the female of the species.

Jarik turned to frown at his father when Nerise went to the back of the shop. "So why are you getting yours let out? You stopped wearing it when we moved here," he asked.

"Well, uh, there're faculty events I have to go to with your mom," Han told him, fast on his feet as ever.

"Okay. But you and mom better not be chaperones. Quall's parents are gonna be. He'd rather die. He's only going because he promised Sobi he'd go."

Han turned his head to the side so his son couldn't see him snicker.

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While the male members of the family were outfitting themselves, Leia was enjoying herself tremendously. This was the first time she was buying formalwear strictly for fun, as opposed to the many official functions she'd attended throughout her career. She didn't have to bother with overskirts, diplomatic robes, or long sleeves.

Of course, wearing something that the young girls attending the prom would be attired in was out of the question. Leia was in her fifties and she was not about to emulate a sixteen-year-old. But there were plenty of gowns that were flattering to a lady of a certain age, and Leia was proud of her reasonably trim figure—even after four children. There were so many beautiful colors, too. Of course, anything she chose would have to be hemmed, she sighed.

She wanted something, while age-appropriate, that was also a bit

sexy. After all, she would be dancing with the best looking man in the galaxy. Han was still incredibly handsome. Admittedly his hair was heavily peppered with grey, and the lines on his face had grown deeper, but his eyes still sparked gold and green, and his crooked grin could still light up a room—and cause her heart to race. Besides, it wasn't as if she hadn't aged, right along with her husband. She'd already lined up a spa day for the following week, and was looking forward to it with a vengeance.

Leia had narrowed it down to two gowns: debating between a dress in a true red color, and one in sapphire blue. Both were made of shimmersilk, and glowed beautifully in the light. _Decisions, decisions._ She'd had an easier time in negotiations with some of the toughest planetary representatives in the galaxy.

 _And I'm glad those days are behind me,_ she thought happily.

The dealmaker was that the red dress was slightly lower cut. It showed enough cleavage to tantalize Han, but not so much that Jarik would be even more embarrassed than he already would be. So far, her son was oblivious to the fact that she and Han would be present. She liked it that way.

And it occurred to her that the red in the dress would perfectly match the red shoes she'd worn at her wedding.

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"That was torture," Jarik moaned as he and Han headed to the speeder.

"Son, your mom and I have actually been tortured," Han told him matter-of-factly.

"Oh. I didn't know that," Jarik said, looking embarrassed. "But it was kinda uncomfortable," he insisted.

"Uncomfortable on account of doing something for a lady's something you're just going to have to get used to," Han informed

him. "What color is Amie's dress?"

"I have no idea! Why?" Jarik was completely baffled and slightly annoyed.

"Because, like I told you before, you have to get her flowers, and they have to match her dress," Han informed him.

"Oh. I guess I could ask her."

"Why don't you do that, son? Save yourself some embarrassment."

Jarik sighed. "I'm not sure about this prom business."

"You'll have a great time!"

"How would you know? You never had to survive prom!"

"I survived my wedding with a thousand guests, maybe twenty of whom I liked. You'll be fine."

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The night finally arrived. Jarik had been hanging out with his friends most of the day, working on their racers, but by mid afternoon, everyone had scattered, and Jarik was in the shower, singing away.

Leia was still at the spa. Jarik hadn't noticed her absence; it wasn't unusual for his mother to be out. Han was watching smashball, which wasn't unusual, either. Jarik suspected nothing, which was just the way Han wanted it.

A while later, Jarik emerged, trying to get his formalwear to look right.

"This is a disaster!" the teenager whined.

"Relax, lemme give you a hand," Han said to his son, walking over

to him. He smoothed the pleats in the shirt, and helped him with the buttons. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone!"

"You better not," Jarik said, but without resistance. He seemed grateful for the help.

"I won't. I just hope you don't get any taller," Han said to him.

"Why's that?" Jarik asked warily.

"Because I'm not going to be able to kick your ass," Han told him, but smiled.

"Dad, you haven't been able to kick my ass for a while now," the boy said, using the cocky tone he'd inherited from his father.

"Don't be so sure of that."

"Well, I gotta go to Amie's. Her folks wanna take holos and stuff."

"Get some copies for your mom and me," Han told him.

"For a price!" Jarik called out as he left the house.

Han grinned as the boy left. Leia would be home shortly. Little did their son know that his parents had a very special date that night.

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"He's out, isn't he?" Leia asked breathlessly as she arrived at home.

"Yep. Over at Amie's, having holos made. I told him to bring us a few," Han responded, flipping off the holovision.

"Good luck with that," Leia commented dryly. "What'd he say?"

"For a price," Han quoted.

"He's your son, all right." Leia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Can't deny that one. The kid cleans up pretty good, by the way."

Leia stood on tiptoes to kiss her husband. "His father doesn't do too badly, either. Which, as a matter of fact, we'd better get to."

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"You look amazing," Han commented as he gazed at Leia. Red and silver ribbons were woven through her hair, which she wore long, and the dress accentuated her curves beautifully.

"You don't think it's too low cut?" Leia asked.

"Kind of late if I thought it was, but the answer is no. You look great in girls' clothes."

"You're terrible," Leia said, whapping him playfully on his posterior, which she still thought was the finest one she'd seen on any male specimen.

"I am, and I'll prove it, if you'll dance with me," Han said, winking at her.

"Not in front of the children!" Leia said in mock horror. Then her horror turned real. "What if Jarik never speaks to us again?"

"He will. He always needs credits," Han assured her. He opened the door for her. "This way, your Highness."

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Jarik attended the public school in the area. It was a large school, and speeders filled the parking area to overflowing. There

were hundreds of students milling about the grounds, of all different sizes, colors and species, and all clad in unaccustomed finery.

"I thought we had a lot of kids," Han commented as they waded through the throngs of speeders and students.

"We do have a lot of kids. Fortunately, most of these don't belong to us," Leia said, her hand clasped in Han's.

"Felt like we had this many in the old place," he smirked. "Let's try to be discreet as possible," Han said as they headed for the open door. There was only one exit, probably to make it easier for parent and faculty chaperones to catch students about to engage in wayward behaviors.

"We're not going to be invisible for very long," Leia commented. "Maybe I should have gone for the blue dress."

"I like you in red," Han said appreciatively, winking at her. "It makes you look naughty."

"Still a bad boy," Leia sighed, but her eyes were filled with amusement.

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Jarik and Amie were talking with a group of their friends, with Jarik providing much of the comic relief. The boy had a sharp tongue, which, considering his legacy, was anything but surprising.

"She's stunning," Leia observed as she watched Amie, clad in a strapless dark blue dress, fitted through the bodice with a flared skirt. Her long wavy dark hair flowed down past her shoulders, in contrast to the up-dos that seemed to be favored by most of her fellow female prom attendees. Her jewelry was simple and elegant-a single stone necklace in a shade that matched her dress, and drop earrings. She carried a bouquet of small blue-white flowers.

"The boy occasionally has good taste," Han said approvingly.

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"Jarik, you didn't tell me your parents were chaperoning! That's so cool!" Amie said, smiling.

"My parents aren't chaperones. You're dreaming," Jarik informed her.

"I am? Take a look over that way," she said, pointing.

Jarik paled instantly. "What the kriff?!"

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Han and Leia, like the other chaperones, each received a flimsi containing a long list of instructions outlining what was permitted, or, as most of the list indicated, what was not.

"This is ridiculous!" Han muttered. "As long as no one's maimed or killed or gets too intoxicated, the kids should be allowed to have fun." He stuffed the flimsi into his pocket. "Let's go."

"What the kriff?!" An angry voice, very much a young Han's voice, stopped them in their tracks. "What are you doing here?" Jarik stared at them with murder in his eyes.

"Don't swear at your mother!" Han told Jarik sharply.

"Sorry," the younger Solo said automatically, ducking his head. Then he looked up at his parents, his look mutinous.

"Why are you here?" he demanded.

"Well, we did volunteer to be chaperones," Han admitted. "But the real reason Mom and I are here is because, well, neither of us ever had a chance to go to a prom."

Jarik contemplated that. "Why?" he asked in a slightly more reasonable tone.

"Because Mom was trying to overthrow the Empire and I was trying to escape from a slave ship when we were your age," Han explained simply. "Prom wasn't really part of the picture."

"But why MY prom?" Jarik protested.

"Because, in case you hadn't noticed, the Jedi Praxium doesn't hold proms," Leia retorted. "And we're planning to ignore you."

"Unless you do something unbelievably stupid," Han added.

"Does this mean that I have to rescue you if you do something totally idiotic?" Jarik shot back at Han, but his irritation had mitigated somewhat.

"I've got that covered," Leia admonished him. "Now go, enjoy your friends,"

"You'll pay for this!" Jarik threw out at them, as he stalked away.

The two looked at each other. "Actually, that didn't go as badly as I thought it might," Han commented.

"What, were you expecting him to take you out to the parking area?" Leia asked him.

"Yeah, I thought it could happen. But it didn't. Sounds like the music's starting. I suppose we'll have to do some chaperoning here and there. But may I have this dance?"

"Absolutely."

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For Han and Leia, it was a night to remember; they felt the same

giddy excitement that many of the young attendees were experiencing.

They watched Amie and Jarik together. Both were enjoying each other and the evening; Amie shared Jarik's twisted sense of humor, and they seemed to have a good thing going on.

"I like Amie," Leia commented. "She's tough and smart and she doesn't take any nonsense from Jarik."

"Yeah, I think he respects that. I know I did, from a certain princess," Han said, winking at Leia the way he had at the awards ceremony on Yavin, so many years ago. "I think after this dance, we'd better do a little chaperoning, though. Saw a couple of wobbly-looking ones heading outside."

"I suppose they do expect us to do some work," Leia sighed.

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Han stepped outside, and found a boy who was clearly on shaky ground.

"Hey, son, I think you overdid it a little bit," Han said softly, patting the boy gently on the back as the kid vomited up the contents of his stomach. The smell of intoxicants was oozing from every pore of the kid's body.

"Yeah, no kidding," the boy said, between bursts of upchucking. "Stupid!"

"Hey, we've all done it, and I've done it a lot more than I should have," Han assured him. "You're not going to feel too good in the morning, but you'll get over it."

"I think I'd like to lie down and die right now," the boy proclaimed.

"Let me get you a chair from inside, and you can sit down out here

in the fresh air," Han told him. "I'll bring you some water, too. It'll help." The kid, Han knew, was going to be wildly dehydrated. Finding a chair was easy, and Han found a cup and filled it with water.

"Thanks," the kid said to him. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Ah, just part of growing up, kid." The boy grabbed the water. "Sip it, don't gulp it. You don't want a repeat of what you just went through."

"No kidding." Once the boy had had a little water, he blinked at Han. "Aren't you Jarik Solo's dad?"

"Much as it pains me to admit it, yes, I am," Han said, but smiled.

"He's funny as all hells," the boy said. "I'm Andras."

"Hi, Andras."

"My friends are gonna bag on me so bad," Andras said, clearly embarrassed.

"That's their problem, not yours," Han said sharply.

"As you can see, I can't hold my intoxicants too good."

"Keep that in mind next time you're tempted," Han said, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "If you need me, I'm going back on the dance floor."

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"Anything wrong? You were gone a while," Leia asked Han when he returned.

"Ah, just a kid who didn't know his own limits," Han told her. He was about to lead Leia to the dance floor when a young boy came up

and tapped Leia on the shoulder. It was Sark, one of Jarik's best friends, who was frequently a guest at the Solo home and, like Jarik, a gearhead.

"Hello, Sark," Leia greeted him. "I'd say it's been a while, but I think it's only been a few hours." Both laughed.

"Mrs. Solo, uh, can I dance with you?" Sark asked, a little awkwardly.

Leia smiled warmly at him. "Of course."

"Have her home early! And no funny stuff!" Han warned him severely.

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"I think it's so cool your mom and dad came," Amie said to Jarik as they took a break from the dance floor.

"That's 'cause they're not YOUR parents," Jarik pointed out.

"Hey, at least they're not acting like CorSec," Amie pointed out. "And look, Quall's dancing with your mom!"

"Oh gods, this is embarrassing," Jarik groaned.

"Why? Your mom and dad aren't trying to fraternize. The guys are asking your mom! And there are some girls over there who look like they want to dance with your dad."

"Kill me now," Jarik moaned.

"Oh, shut up already!" Amie said, elbowing him gently and laughing.

"Yes, ma'am," Jarik said, saluting his girlfriend.

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"Mr. Solo! Would you like to dance?" the voice of a young girl asked Han, who was on the sidelines while Jarik's friends, and a couple kids Han didn't recognize, were dancing with Leia.

"Uh..." this made Han uncomfortable. It was one thing for Jarik's friends to ask Leia to dance, but Han wasn't even sure he recognized the young lady standing in front of him. "I think I'm a little old for you. There seem to be some young men out there who'd love for you to ask them."

"You don't remember me?" the girl seemed hurt.

"At my age, I'm lucky if I remember what I went into the kitchen for," Han informed her with a grin.

"I'm Jelsy! Jarik and I went out for about a month? Last year?" she said.

"As I said, my memory's a memory." Han spotted young Andras, who'd apparently recovered enough to return-he was walking a little more steadily than when Han had last seen him. "But that young man over there would really appreciate it if you asked him," Han said, pointing to Andras.

Jelsy seemed a little disappointed, but said, "Okay. Nice to see you again."

"You, too."

Leia had finally managed to escape from the dance floor.

"How're your feet? Did these guys cripple you?" Han asked her as she joined him.

"A couple of them nearly did. I need a stop at the ladies' fresher. Don't go away, Hotshot."

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The ladies' fresher was fairly empty, with only a few young girls there, all of whom seemed to be gathered around a girl who was sobbing.

"Are you all right?" Leia asked her softly.

The one girl stared at Leia as if she was a complete moron. "She's crying! Of course she's not all right!" she snipped.

Her other friend chimed in, "Her dickhead of a boyfriend ducked out with the class tramp," she explained, her voice cutting. This only made the crying girl sob harder.

"I've got this one," Leia said, putting her arm around the girl. The other girls, relieved to escape, skittered out.

"I can't believe he did this!" The girl cried, tears destroying what had likely been a very carefully done makeup job. "He knows how much prom meant to me! And now I find out he's been doing her for a month!"

Leia held her close. "Teenaged boys aren't noted for their fidelity," Leia said gently. "Now, if I had my blaster pistol with me, I could finish him off, but sadly, it's at home in the gun safe." The girl, who was still crying, actually laughed a little. "Men are slow, dear. It takes a long time before they finally Get It. What's your name?"

"Kelli."

"Kelli, I'm Mrs. Solo," Leia told her softly.

Kelli looked up. "Oh! You're Jarik's mom! He always makes me laugh!"

"I'm glad he does something well," Leia remarked dryly. "His academic performance certainly leaves something to be desired."

"Oh, he's studying more since he took up with Amie. She's kind of

a grind, but she's nice."

 _He might graduate yet,_ Leia thought to herself. "Do you feel ready to go out and join your friends?"

"You know, I thought they were my friends, but I hate them. I hate the cliques, and belonging to the right group. I'm so done with all of this. I just want to go to university and get away from here!"

"What university will you be attending?" Leia asked her.

"I'm going to Coruscant. And I'm not coming back here again!"

Leia just smiled. "That's a very good university. We used to live there."

"I can't wait to go. It's not like this backwater!"

Leia refrained from saying anything about how much she loved living in this so-called backwater. She wasn't seventeen, and this young lady might love being on Coruscant. At least for a while.

"I'm going to have to head back out. Are you going to be all right?" Leia asked her.

"I'm fine. I'm going home. I don't want this night lasting any longer than it has already."

 _Maybe,_ Leia thought, _there are some parts of growing up I'm glad I missed._

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"Hey, I'm cutting in," a familiar voice informed the couple.

It was Jarik, with Amie on his arm.

"Oh?" Han raised an eyebrow.

"Mom, wanna dance?" Jarik asked Leia, to her great surprise.

Once Leia recovered from the initial shock, she gave a slight bow. "I gladly accept."

"Amie, since your partner's abandoned you, care to dance with the old guy?" Han asked the young lady.

"Sure," she agreed, and the two couples headed for the dance floor.

"Y'know, you and Dad kind of hacked me off when you showed up," Jarik said to Leia. "But you guys look like you're having fun, and you're not embarrassing me."

"Well, that's high praise, coming from you," Leia said mirthfully, enjoying the dance with her youngest son. "It's been a great evening for your dad and me."

"Yeah, and you don't just hang out on the sidelines, acting like CorSec."

"Oh, we're keeping an eye on you guys. Your dad had to help one young man who seemed to have overly imbibed, but really, we're enjoying something we never had," Leia informed him.

"Well, thanks for being cool about it," Jarik said, smiling broadly. "Wonder how Dad feels dancing with a tall girl."

"He looks like he's doing just fine." Han and Amie were laughing; Leia guessed they might be joking about Jarik.

"Well, anyway, thanks for not ruining my night," Jarik said gruffly to his mother, but with a huge, affectionate smile.

"I just wanted to go to the prom," Leia told him. "And now I have."

The music stopped. "It's last dance. You better do this one with

Dad," Jarik said, leaning over to give her a peck on the cheek. He hurried back to Amie and Han. "Okay, okay, give it up, Dad," he said jovially, taking Amie by the arm. She was still laughing.

"Your dad tells the best stories," Amie told him.

"I've heard 'em, believe me," Jarik told her, but his eyes were sparkling as he took Amie in his arms for the final dance of the evening.

Han and Leia held each other close for the last dance.

"So was it everything you thought it would be?" Han asked her, smiling brightly.

"It was," Leia assured him. "You didn't exactly look as if you were suffering yourself."

"How could I be suffering? I'm dancing with the woman of my dreams," Han said, smiling raffishly.

"So what are we doing after the prom?" Leia asked impishly.

"Well, I thought we'd go home and finish off the evening with a private celebration," Han said to her.

"Nothing could be better," Leia agreed, but they danced till the last notes died away.


End file.
